So, Game 7 has arrived for LeBron James and the Heat, and this is the reality greeting them: Miami is just Cleveland with great beaches.

Is there another conclusion to draw after the Heat faced elimination Thursday night in Boston, LeBron responded with a game for the ages … and his teammates responded by standing around and watching him do it?

If there ever were a time to feel sorry for James, it’s now, in the pause between Games 6 and 7.

Oh, there are lots of times to feel that for him—when the picking and wisecracking turn to things like death threats, vengeance-fueled memoirs (“The Whore of Akron?” Really?) and beers getting dumped on him on his way off the court.

On the other hand, the weight of being on another plane of existence than nearly every other player but having none of the hardware that should come with it—he put that on himself.

The weight shifted Thursday. Problem is, it shifted right back to where it had been two years ago.

Maybe the phrase “This is why I left Cleveland” never crossed his mind after Game 6. Going to Miami, joining forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, forming the super-team, the Big Three, the Axis of Evil (hey, it’s still Pat Riley at the controls)—that was supposed to be the end of the days on which LeBron was required, obligated, forced to produce a Game 6-level performance to save his team.

Or, more appropriately, Game 5-level.

With Wade there, and others, when would they ever need him to score the last 25 points of a pivotal playoff game?

Yet here we are, right back where we started. Right back where he started, too.

In between, that was quite a detour to Un-Clutch-Land.

Taking his entire career into account, how crazy is it to see how he went from being the one and only in Cleveland, to facilitating and deferring in Miami, and now … back to being the one and only, or else?

It was instructive to see the Heat players talk about how tuned-in he seemed before the game. One by one, they recounted how they couldn’t have envisioned a game like that, but they did see a different look on his face and said they sensed he was ready to take over.

Did they also sense that they should just gaze at it in wonderment like the sold-out TD Garden crowd, though?

Wade, in particular, supposedly Batman to LeBron’s Robin, wasn’t even Alfred the Butler for three quarters. His 17 points, and even his 6-for-17 shooting, might be the most fraudulent of his stellar career.

At least Bosh has his too-recent return from injury as a defense.

Of course, Wade is suspected of being hurt, too. He sure is playing like it.

The Supporting Cast managed 18-of-50 shooting.

LeBron had five assists, truly the finest number on his stat sheet. Cousy, Isiah and Magic combined might not have gotten five assists out of the bunch LeBron had on his back that night.

James did roughly as well when he had Boobie Gibson, Damon Jones, Sasha Pavlovic and 74-year-old Shaq helping him out.

So did his Cavs teams, for that matter.

Regardless of the multitude of his motivations for switching out Cleveland for Miami, we can at least take him at his word when he’s claimed that he wasn’t sure he could win there, and had a better chance in his new home with all the talent around him.

All three did take less than the max to merge powers.

If no other help could be found, at least there would be three pillars of support, not one.

Yet today, LeBron is the lone pillar again.

It worked against Boston, as it did so many times as a Cav, or almost worked. Worked against Detroit. Almost worked against Boston a couple of times, nearly worked against Orlando. Didn’t work against the Spurs in the Finals, but was a valiant effort.

Oh, and worked earlier in these playoffs against Indiana.

One throwback game is one thing. He was forced into a second, though.

He might be forced into a third Saturday night.

There appears to be no one else to count on. There might not be anyone else he can count on.

If you’re going to take your talents somewhere, South Beach is as good as it gets. But what he’s got on his shoulders right now … is that what he left Cleveland for?